- Chewing on ice: not only chips or cracks teeth, but it can also irritate the soft tissues inside the teeth, leading to regular toothaches.
- Playing sports with no mouth guard: such as rugby, football, boxing, and hockey, without a mouth guard can be disastrous. Chipped teeth and even teeth being knocked out are often seen due to mouthguards not being worn. Custom-made guards offer the best protection and can be made by your dentist.
- Bedtime Bottles: It is best to avoid a baby getting used to falling asleep with a bottle, as bathing the teeth overnight in sugar leads to tooth decay very quickly.
- Tongue or lip piercings: can cause recession of the gums and damage to teeth; they can often be a haven for bacteria that leads to infection.
- Grinding: Often caused by stress, grinding can cause tooth wear and headaches. Wearing a nightguard will protect the teeth during grinding and can sometimes stop the habit altogether. Nightguards can be made by your dentist.
- Opening and Tearing Stuff with your teeth: bottlecaps, plastic packaging, and sellotape are all common causes of chipped teeth and can be avoided by breaking this habit.
- Sports/Energy Drinks: It is very high in sugar and one of the biggest causes of tooth decay in teenagers today. Swap energy/sports drinks for diluted juice or water to avoid decay and erosion.
- Chewing on pens: another common cause of chipped teeth and tooth wear over time.
- Smoking: Not only is smoking bad for overall health and a cause of oral cancer, but it also leads to stained teeth, gum recession, loosening of teeth, and eventually tooth loss.
- Wine: Red wine can stain teeth, and white wine is very acidic and can lead to erosion.
